


Come Undone

by Caedmon



Series: Amelioration in Budapest [9]
Category: Marvel, Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Clint Feels, Clint No, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, F/M, Natasha Feels, Natasha Needs a Hug, Nightmares, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, but that's the next chapter, in other words, sexual and romantic tension is resolved in a matter of minutes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 06:44:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2141040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caedmon/pseuds/Caedmon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natasha's nightmare revisits her, but this time it's different. This time, it comes with another visitor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Come Undone

**Author's Note:**

> I split this chapter into two parts so that the NSFW part could be skipped or filtered out if the reader so desired.
> 
> Title is taken from the Duran Duran song of the same name.   
> _Who do you need, who do you love when you come undone?_
> 
> I own nothing.

_She grabbed the foreign weapon from the alien and smacked him with it before stabbing him and whirling around to confront the next threat. It was too close, it was going to get her, but before it could attack her it fell to the ground with an arrow in its eye._

_Clint yelled, “You okay?” already nocking another arrow, but it was hopeless, they were outnumbered, they were going to die. Loki was going to win._

_Thor sent the lightning and felled the twenty or so chitauri surrounding them while Cap called an emergency meeting. “Thor, zap all you can. Hulk, smash ‘em. Nat, me and you are here on the ground. Tony, Clint - you know what to do.”_

_Everyone nodded, Tony grabbed Clint and took off into the sky. But they didn't stop at the corner of the roof of the building they were supposed to, Tony held on to Clint and kept going, flying up and up and up, towards the wormhole where chitauri kept pouring out._

_“What are you doing?!”_

_“We’re going through the wormhole,” Tony replied in a matter-of-fact way._

_“With Clint?”_

_“Of course.”_

_“NO!”_

_Clint answered this time. “Why not? I have to shoot the mother ship.”_

_“NO YOU DON’T! TONY HAS A MISSILE! PLEASE STOP, CLINT!”_

_“No, my arrow will work better.”_

_They were climbing higher and higher, getting closer to the wormhole. “Clint, NO! Please, don’t do this! PLEASE, stay with me!”_

_Tony and Clint disappeared through the hole and she sobbed, her body racked as she begged him to come back. Suddenly, two bodies fell through the hole and Natasha screamed._

_Hulk and Thor flew through the air, snatching the two plummeting figures out of the air, dropping them to the ground when they landed, and then Natasha was kneeling beside Clint lifeless form, wailing and screaming his name, the Hulk roared and Tony woke up sputtering and asking for schawarma but Clint didn’t stir, and Natasha screamed Clint’s name again and again and again…._

oOo

Clint lay awake in the bedroom he had taken for himself in the penthouse, inhaling Natasha’s lingering scent on himself. He’d lay there for a couple of hours now, trying to distract himself from the fact she was sleeping so close by. He'd watched Italian television, repeating what he heard to practice his inflection, he’d read through a couple of magazines. Still, his thoughts kept drifting back to Natasha, sleeping a few hundred feet away.

Clint’s resolve was slipping. He simply didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to hold out. He’d told her how he felt, and if he couldn’t leave her alone about it he'd made up his mind to at least woo her very, very gently. No sudden moves. He wanted to practice the patience of a sniper that he was renowned for and let her come to him when she was ready…let her run the show entirely. Clint intended to just follow her lead until things were all settled down and got comfortable. 

But God, that was getting difficult, and he was fairly sure that if this were some kind of test of patience he had to pass, he’d lose all his credibility. His impulse to grab her and kiss her was eating him alive - and the worst part of all of this was that he’d only been around her for a couple of days. Before New York, he could go months in her presence, in close quarters, before he just couldn’t stand it anymore and gave into temptation. Was it that he hadn’t seen her in so long? Was it because he knew she felt the same way, even if she wouldn’t say so? A little of column A, a little of column B most likely. But whatever it was, he -

Natasha moaned loudly from the other room, and Clint came up on one elbow, listening hard. Nat wasn’t a noisy sleeper-

Another moan, and a strangled cry. “ _Clint!_ ”

Clint grabbed his glock and flew from the room.

oOo

Natasha continued to cry out to him with increasing insistence as he dashed across the suite. Reaching her room, he ignored all of his training and threw her door open, his gun pointed at nothing, ready to fire at anyone or anything that may be threatening her. 

Natasha was alone physically but was clearly not alone in her mind. When he ran in, she called out again: “ _Clint, NO!_ ” and he had a split second of panic. She thrashed and moaned, still asleep and his quick moment was over.

He laid the pistol down out of her reach and rushed to her, taking her hands firmly.

“Natasha, I’m here.”

“ _No, Clint, don’t go!_

“Natasha, sweetheart, wake up. I’m right here.” His mind reeled and guilt assailed him. What had he done to leave her plagued with nightmares? 

_"Clint, oh God, CLINT NO!_ ”

Clint squeezed her hands, hoping the pressure would help wake her and keep her flailing in check. “Tasha, I’m right here. You're dreaming. It's not real. You have to wake up. Can you hear me?”

Natasha began to cry, saying, “oh no, Clint, no…” 

Sensing that she was starting to wake up, he squeezed her hands at the same time he said, “Shhh, Tasha, sweetheart, I’m here. It’s all okay.”

She opened her eyes, startled, and bolted upright. Pulling her hands back from his she started at him, her eyes wide. He leaned in, and cupped her cheek delicately. “You were having a bad dream, sweetheart. You’re safe now.”

“Are you really here, Clint?”

He smiled at her, trying to hide his puzzlement. “I’m right here.”

“You didn’t go with Tony?”

“I don't know what you’re even talking about, sweetheart. I haven’t gone anywhere.”

She began to cry, putting her face in her hands, and he scooped her into his lap to comfort her, whispering sweet nothings about how he was right there, he hadn’t left, he wasn’t going to leave, and no dream could ever hurt her. 

She snuffled, “You don’t understand, Clint. I dream it all the time. You save New York and then you die - you leave me - and then I wake up and…” her tears started fresh.

Clint was quiet while she composed herself. “Is it always like this when you wake up?”

“Yes, except I’m alone.”

His heart fell to the ground and shattered. “I’m so sorry for the hurt I’ve caused you, Natasha.”

“No, this is just me being afraid of - I’m just afraid.”

So much unspoken, so much to say in the heavily pregnant silence. Natasha sniffled into Clint's chest as she calmed down while he wrestled with his intentions and morality. 

When things seemed calm; “Well, I'm here and safe, so there’s no reason to be afraid.” He slid her back into the bed and bent to kiss her forehead, warring with himself mightily. _She’s vulnerable. You’ve hurt her so much. Don’t run the risk of hurting her anymore. Go to bed._

“Goodnight, sweetheart.”

He got just past the foot of the bed before she called out to him. “Wait!”

Clint stopped but didn't turn around. Natasha waited a moment then asked, "Will you stay with me? I don't want the dream to come back. “

Clint hung his head, his back still to Natasha. His voice was odd in his own ears when he answered her. 

“Tasha, I’m a strong man and I like to think I’m a fairly good man. But I’m not anywhere near good enough or strong enough to stay in here tonight without…I just can’t stay, Tasha. I'm not man enough. I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Look at me, Clint.”

He didn't for a while, gathering himself. Then he turned and looked at her. Her eyes blazed at him when she said, “You _can_ stay, Clint. Do you understand me? You _can_ , and I want you to. Please.”


End file.
